For years, the Premier League's most breathtaking theatre comforted itself with a collective delusion: that Manchester City were a house built on sand, a juggernaut whose inevitable legal reckoning would finally halt their relentless march.
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Anfield’s afternoon of sour recrimination, where a 3-0 blitz from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki was met with desperate cries of 'cheats', ordered a completely different reality.
Far from cracking under the weight of their now-famous guilty verdict, Manchester City have simply turned the anger of their rivals into fuel, converting the public backlash from the football world into complete control.
For an hour, Anfield had dreamt the old dream; one that encased a noisy, febrile atmosphere so raucous that it had threatened to swallow City whole during a cagey and scoreless opening period.
Yet, as so often in this modern era of high-intensity and counter-attacking football, the contest swung on a knife’s edge when Ryan Gravenberch saw red in the 62nd minute for a totally avoidable foul on Doku; the collective nervous tension of the red half of Merseyside dissolved into ultimate defeat and dejection from there onwards.
Haaland’s goal came just three minutes after Gravenberch had walked down the tunnel, a beautiful finish, for which the Norway international wrapped his left foot around the ball and pierced the bottom-left corner of Alisson’s net.
Before Andoni Iraola’s side could catch their breath, Doku - during one of the greatest substitute performances of the season - scythed down the left and emulated the remarkable goal which he scored at the Etihad Stadium nearly 12 months ago.
Merseyside fell quiet as City continued their dominance, and when Cherki capped the onslaught after 78 minutes, Anfield was a landscape of deflation, apart from the banana-filled away end, of course.
Liverpool had their energy, points, and support drained. So much so that the only real dignity they had left came in the form of roaring “cheats, cheats, cheats” every time Manchester City ticked their possession stats up once more - a poignant reminder of the legal dark cloud that rivals hope will one day wash away this era of continued dominance. For now, though, it's very much present.
When referee Chris Kavanagh blew the final whistle, it was the City away end, boisterously led by the likes of Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Alfie Haaland, that painted the afternoon blue.
And in a final desperate act of defiance, the Anfield PA speaker crackled into life with Fleetwood Mac’s Little Lies, an obvious, ineffectual and somewhat cringeworthy jibe at the triumphant visitors and their team.
Guilty verdict, appeal, and Maresca’s perfect start to life as Manchester City manager
For what is expected, these criticisms will follow Maresca’s side and the entirety of the club wherever they go this season, and perhaps far beyond that. Will that bother them in any way? Clearly not. In fact, as it did on Sunday, it may even motivate them more.
Two weeks ago, City were found guilty on 114 charges, including all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules from 2009-18. The club were found to have used “sham” contracts to inflate their revenues and lower operating costs by over £900 million.
At the start of October, Manchester City launched their rightful appeal in the case, which a new three-person commission must conduct a five-day hearing within 12 weeks, before finding a verdict as a result within 30 days of the appeal’s conclusion.
In the meantime, there is a certainty that the charges will be brought up at every opportunity when Maresca speaks to the press, but what isn’t being spoken about enough is the quintessential start to life he has made as Pep Guardiola’s successor.
Maresca has already exceeded expectations in his first 15 weeks as the City boss, and has consistently shown solidarity with the club amid the world-shaking guilty verdict, reaffirming it’s major honours to be untarnished and confirming his trust in the owners.
On the pitch, there isn’t much more Maresca could have done to please City fans thus far. A humbling 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield quickly turned brutality into brilliance as the Blues soared to a remarkable win streak.
An opening day comeback victory against Bournemouth set the tone for a successful start to the Premier League season, which saw wins come against the likes of Manchester United, Sunderland and, most recently, Liverpool.
In addition to those victories, City also won their first UEFA Champions League game against Porto, though Maresca’s group face much tougher opposition in the form of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
Luis Enrique playstyle, PSG threat, and how Maresca can counteract the French champions
Unlike Manchester City, PSG started their season in a slump despite beating Aston Villa in the UEFA Super Cup in Austria, with four games without recording a win following.
Luis Enrique’s side, who have won back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles, were beaten by AS Monaco and LOSC Lille in Ligue 1 during that run, but does this really matter?
City are on a train of momentum that has shown, particularly against Liverpool, that the guilty verdict hasn’t affected their football on the pitch at all, but has instead been used as a tool to motivate them.
Since their winless streak, PSG have turned their season on its head by winning four in a row across all competitions, including a 6-1 win against Slovan Bratislava last month, where Ousmane Dembele scored twice and provided two assists.
Enrique group have managed to score 12 goals in that four-game period, a testament to his attacking, possession-dominant football that contains tireless pressing and an unforgiving lethality at the top of the pitch.
At the Etihad Stadium, and judging by the club’s most recent performances, Maresca is likely to utilise City’s technical superiority in midfield to dominate the ball and slow the game down.
How will City do this? Through Enzo Fernandez and Elliot Anderson inside, Maresca’s side will be able to take transitional opportunities away from PSG while tiring them out - here is where City will have a physical advantage as much as a cardiovascular one, with their experience in the Premier League.
None of that could work for Maresca, of course, which is where his adaptability will be tested. However, if PSG’s relentless high press forces multiple turnovers in the middle of the pitch or, worse, in City’s defensive third, their pace could prove fatal.
Matheus Nunes and Marc Guehi were two of City’s best players at times against Liverpool, and will absolutely be needed at the back and in their ability to use passing lanes as a way of working the ball up the pitch, be it on the counter or in relaxed scenarios, not least because PSG will strive for wide and direct football.
Still, there are conversations to be had about the battle between Erling Haaland and Dembele too, with both players possessing the potential to make the difference on Wednesday night. It is destined to be one of the greatest games of the season.